- A record 118,036 fans from 94 countries attended Ducati’s biggest-ever World Ducati Week as the Italian brand celebrated its 100th anniversary.
- WorldSBK star Nicolò Bulega defeated MotoGP’s biggest names to win the Lenovo Race of Champions aboard identical Panigale V4 Tricolores.
- Coming soon to BRM: Adam Child stayed on after the event to ride Ducati’s latest WorldSBK machine and Marc Márquez’s MotoGP bike.
Ducati’s 100th anniversary celebrations attracted almost 120,000 fans to Misano, with Nicolò Bulega winning the Race of Champions, while BRM’s Adam Child is set to ride both Ducati’s WorldSBK machine and Marc Márquez’s MotoGP bike!
Nearly 120,000 Ducatisti from 94 countries descended on Italy over the weekend as Ducati celebrated its centenary with the biggest World Ducati Week in the event’s history.
The three-day festival at the Misano World Circuit attracted 118,036 visitors, making the 2026 edition the largest and most international World Ducati Week ever staged as the Borgo Panigale manufacturer marked its 100th anniversary.
For Ducati, World Ducati Week has always been more than a motorcycle event. Held every two years, it has become a pilgrimage for Ducatisti from around the globe, but this year’s centenary celebration took the spectacle to another level.
Among the highlights was an extraordinary 18km parade of Ducati motorcycles stretching from Misano to Riccione, a drone and fireworks display celebrating the company’s century of history, and the now-traditional Lenovo Race of Champions, which placed some of the world’s best riders on identical Ducati Panigale V4 Tricolores.
Bulega beats the stars
While MotoGP riders Marc Márquez, Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Franco Morbidelli and Álex Márquez all lined up alongside World Superbike and national championship stars, it was WorldSBK championship leader Nicolò Bulega who stole the show.
After claiming pole position, Bulega converted it into victory ahead of Alberto Surra and Lorenzo Baldassarri in the one-make showdown, once again proving the depth of Ducati’s superbike talent.
The unique race has become one of World Ducati Week’s biggest attractions, giving fans the rare opportunity to watch MotoGP and WorldSBK riders compete head-to-head on virtually identical machinery.
A century of Ducati
The centenary celebrations extended well beyond the racetrack.
Legends including Casey Stoner, Troy Bayliss, Carl Fogarty and Loris Capirossi joined current stars such as Marc Márquez, Pecco Bagnaia, Álex Márquez, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Bulega on stage during Saturday night’s celebrations.
In total, riders representing 37 world championships were present across the weekend, highlighting Ducati’s extraordinary rise from a niche Italian manufacturer to one of the dominant forces in world motorcycle racing.
A spectacular drone show lit up the Misano skyline, creating giant aerial images depicting iconic Ducati motorcycles and milestones from the company’s 100-year history.
CEO Claudio Domenicali described the event as exceeding every expectation.
“The Centenary edition exceeded every expectation, with extraordinary attendance making it the biggest and most international World Ducati Week ever.”
More than just motorcycles
The event also showcased where Ducati is heading next.
Visitors were able to see the newly unveiled Desmo450 SM, Ducati’s first-ever production supermotard, alongside the exclusive Superleggera V4 Centenario and other limited-edition centenary models.
Track experiences, hot laps, test rides, engineering presentations and displays from Ducati’s technical partners kept visitors busy throughout the weekend, while more than 275 Ducati Official Clubs gathered from around the world.
Online interest was equally impressive, with Ducati reporting more than 20 million social media impressions, two million page views on its World Ducati Week pages and over 700,000 viewers watching the Lenovo Race of Champions livestream.
BRM goes behind the scenes
BRM’s European tester Adam Child was among those attending the centenary celebrations and has extended his stay in Italy to sample two of Ducati’s most desirable machines.
Over the coming days he’ll ride Nicolò Bulega’s Ducati Panigale V4 R World Superbike before climbing aboard Marc Márquez’s Ducati MotoGP machine, bringing BRM readers exclusive insight into two of the fastest motorcycles ever produced by the Bologna manufacturer.
Expect full ride reports and behind-the-scenes coverage on BRM soon.
